Superbrain

June 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Full of minibios and magazine-style quizzes and relying on a fun, superhero motif, this volume is a research manual in disguise. Easy to grasp sections on evaluating sources, recognizing bias, and building critical thinking skills make this a standout among similar guides. Various practical study and tips such as KWL charts, recipe card bibliographies, and sticky note organization are also presented. Some sections-for instance, "What Kind of Leader Are You?"-seem out of place but do little to detract from the overall organization. While few students will pick up this book on their own, homeschooling families or motivated young researchers might find hints to help them fight a learner's "number one villain-ignorance." VERDICT This title will do best face out on displays and may need some shelf-talking help once filed with the rest of nonfiction.-Jennifer Wolf, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
From the librarian-authors of The Research Virtuoso (2012), a guide for younger would-be "super-learners" to gathering and evaluating information. It's a patchwork mess from start to finish. Using an ill-chosen metaphor, the authors urge readers to "bust down the walls of learning-KAPOW!" by recognizing their "learning styles," preparing an agenda, and getting in the right frame of mind. Interspersed with an irrelevant test for leadership style and equally arbitrary shoutouts to such achievers as Alexander Fleming and youth advocate Malala Yousafzai, they go on to offer vague advice about evaluating the reliability of online claims (simplistically equating "point of view" with "bias"), present a quick outline of the Dewey Decimal System, and promote "information literacy" with cursory quizzes and bullet points on subjects like plagiarism and responsible use of social media. Libraries, characterized as a "safe and free resource," get occasional mention-as places to find "events" or "cool items" to borrow. Whamond adds cartoon images of costumed young superstudents zooming around with books or tackling Ignorance and other villains. There is no index or age-appropriate resource list. Intended as a pathway to lifelong learning, this is more like a winding, muddy dead end. (appendix, glossary, source list) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

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July 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 The Toronto Public Library has done a great job of creating a guide to research practices and intellectual property for students in the middle-grade set. Continuing the superhero theme evinced in the title, the book presents many of the explanations and tips about the appropriate use of print and Internet sources in accessible bites and engaging metaphors, linking each new skill to superhero attributes, such as strength, special powers, necessary equipment, and the ability to identify villains. Sidebars offer portraits of diverse young people who used good research practices to change their own and others' lives, while quizzes complement the text and offer opportunities for readers to actively engage with the material. Whamond's colorful cartoons are unabashedly silly while also depicting variety in both the superhero world and the reader's own more prosaic surroundings. More straightforward, up-to-date, and detailed than most similar guides for the audience, this is a valuable book for students and a worthwhile purchase for both school and public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)